Continuous Improvement Manufacturing Project Engineer/Principal Continuous Improvement Manufacturing Project Engineer

At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon. We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work — and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history.

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems Sector has an immediate need for a Manufacturing/Principal Manufacturing Project Engineer - Continuous Improvement to support the Final Assembly area within manufacturing. The primary location is our Linthicum, MD facility. 

What's Great About Working for Northrop Grumman:

• Be part of a culture that thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work.

• Use your skills to build and deliver innovative tech solutions that protect the world and shape a better future.

• Enjoy benefits like work-life balance, education assistance and paid time off.

• Many sites have 9/80 days, telework and flexible scheduling options, plus generous paid time off.

The Continuous Improvement Manufacturing Project Engineer will focus on improving operational efficiency by leading efforts to reduce process variability and risk to in-process product damage. The ideal candidate will have a strong technical foundation in manufacturing and process control with the ability to coordinate with multiple stakeholders – ensuring that projects meet both technical and programmatic objectives. This role will be 40% Process Improvement Project Manager and 60% Manufacturing Process Engineer.   

A strong Manufacturing Engineer who wants to develop project management skills is a good fit for this job. 

The Manufacturing Project Engineer has responsibilities that include, but are not limited to:

Project Management: 

• Creating and managing overall project deliverables (tasks, resources, budget and schedules); developing Statements of Work (SOW) and cost estimates, tracking project financials, identifying and supporting the acquisition of external services 

• Providing justification and return on investment for process improvements

• Identifying project risks and implementing mitigations  

• Ensuring project plans and deliverables are accurately scoped, budgeted and executed through coordination and meetings with project stakeholders including leadership, operations program managers, and technical subject matter experts (SMEs)

Process Development: 

• Developing new and maintaining, or improving, existing manufacturing processes with a focus on   production capabilities and affordability

• Creating and documenting designs for custom tooling

• Specifying, identifying and procuring new manufacturing equipment; preparing equipment for production   and validating production readiness

• Developing and optimizing process parameters to achieve specified and consistent product results

• Developing/revising process documentation and work instructions

Factory Support: 

• Leading continuous improvement strategies and using tools such as: PFMEA, 8D, 5S, Kaizen events, VSM, SMED, Visual management, DMAIC, DOE, ANOVA

• Monitoring key process indicators, including yields and cost; recommending and implementing process changes that improve safety, quality, cost and schedule

• Solving of manufacturing problems (related to materials, designs, equipment and tooling, training and instructions) to support production

• Assisting with training new personnel and designing operations training materials

• Supporting factory maintenance personnel with the troubleshooting and repair of process equipment

Design and Engineering Support: 

• Recommending product design improvements required to produce advanced microelectronics products

• Documenting state-of-the-art process capabilities and guidelines for product designers

• Conducting design producibility reviews for new products

Miscellaneous: 

• Providing supplier support, as needed, to resolve issues within supply base

• Providing Request for Proposal (RFP) inputs including Non-Recurring Engineering (RE) requirements such as tooling, capital equipment and/or new process development

The chosen candidate must be able to multi-task in a fast-paced, dynamic, and high visibility environment; work well in a team environment; and have excellent written and verbal communication skills.

This req may be filled as an Engineer or a Principal Engineer based on the qualifications below.

Basic Qualifications for a Manufacturing Project Engineer:

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Engineering or related STEM area and at least two years of experience in Manufacturing/Process Engineering, Production, or related area - OR - a Master's degree in a STEM area

• Must have fluency in MS Office software applications 

• 3D Solid Modeling experience using a CAD software 

• Candidate must be able to obtain a Secret security clearance (U.S. citizenship is a prerequisite). 

Basic Qualifications for a Principal Manufacturing Project Engineer:

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Engineering or related STEM area and at least five years of experience in Manufacturing/Process Engineering, Production, or related area - OR - a Master's degree in a STEM area with at least three years of experience

• Must have fluency in MS Office software applications 

• 3D Solid Modeling experience using a CAD software 

• Candidate must be able to obtain a Secret security clearance (U.S. citizenship is a prerequisite). 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with KPIs, cost estimates, work breakdown structures, and continuous improvement Project Management experience 

• Familiarity with J-STD and MIL-STD requirements 

• Knowledge of microelectronic assembly

• Hands-on experience with microelectronic assembly processes and troubleshooting circuit card assemblies

• 3D modeling experience in Unigraphics/NX 

• 3D modeling experience with assembly tooling, concept development, and tool creation Experience with the Teamcenter Manufacturing tool suite and Manufacturing Process Planning Familiarity with Design of Experiment (DOE), Statistical Process Control (SPC), and 6 sigma concepts for process development and control 

• Knowledge of Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) 

• Robotics or automation experience

MANUMS

Salary Range: $73,600 USD - $110,400 USD

Salary Range 2: $90,600 USD - $136,000 USD

Employees may be eligible for a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Annual bonuses are designed to reward individual contributions as well as allow employees to share in company results. Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives. In addition, Northrop Grumman provides a variety of benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, Company paid holidays and paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business.

The health and safety of our employees and their families is a top priority. The company encourages employees to remain up-to-date on their COVID-19 vaccinations. U.S. Northrop Grumman employees may be required, in the future, to be vaccinated or have an approved disability/medical or religious accommodation, pursuant to future court decisions and/or government action on the currently stayed federal contractor vaccine mandate under Executive Order 14042 https://www.saferfederalworkforce.gov/contractors/.

Northrop Grumman is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. For our complete EEO/AA and Pay Transparency statement, please visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for most positions.